toxicspiderman: Photo of a grassy, tree-lined riverbank.  (Specifically, The Charles River) (bucolic)
Sangamon Taylor ([personal profile] toxicspiderman) wrote in [community profile] damned_institute2009-04-09 05:01 pm

Day 40: Greenhouse [Fourth Shift]

Most days, fish and chips (and a cold beer or three) was pretty goddamned high on S.T.'s list of perfect expense-account lunches. Today, the idea of picking at greasy hunks of unidentified bottom-feeder odds-and-ends (politely known as scrod, to the delight of teenagers all across the Northeast) didn't appeal.

He begged off and collapsed into his bed, after using his damp shirt as an excuse to surreptiously check the contents of his closet. Bingo. His nurse watched his little show, unimpressed but (more importantly) unsuspicious. Not that his hairy chest was much of a catch today, pale and sweating from fever. At least she didn't tuck him in.

The intercom woke up up right on schedule, and pulling the sheets back over his head almost won. But a handful of unanswered missives and a vague sense of duty dragged him out to the bulletin, and from there it was easier to stagger over to the greenhouse.

It was warm inside -- a deep, humid warmth that actually penetrated to the aches in more joints and muscles than he could remember the names of. Like a sauna, without the hassle of finding someplace to look that wasn't a mound of pasty middle-management cellulite. Or a sweat lodge, without the opposite hassle of being conscious that he was the only white guy in the room. In fact, besides the nurses in holding patterns, he was the only person in the room.

He located a tray of tomato seedlings going rootbound in their tiny six-packs, and a potting bench whose location was a quick-and-dirty approximation of equidistantly far from anything blooming. He assured his nurse he knew what he was doing, and after a couple of successful repottings, gently sliding the little seedlings out and loosening the tangled roots, she seemed to agree and backed off. It was, by far, the most fucking theraputic thing he'd found in this hellhole so far, and he let himself sink into the rhythm of the task.

[Free!]

[identity profile] thyapocalypse.livejournal.com 2009-04-18 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
There seemed to be more 'clubs' than he had thought. Van would need to look into them further, just to learn their purpose. Though he already knew of the 'Cooking Club' and its purpose, the other clubs may have some uses. "A poor leader will always meet his end in due time." Even good leaders sometimes die simply doing their duty, but Leon likely already knew that.

"Perhaps it would be mistake to divide things further," Van said thoughtfully, giving the tomato plant a closer look. Frowning slightly, he pulled off a brown withered leaf before potting it. "However, it would impossible to unify all the patients under one club. There would be far too many differences and conflicts, and there would be few here that would be able to lead such a large group effectively." He paused a moment, considering his next choice of words. "Several smaller groups would get more accomplished. If each club has a specific purpose, then all that would be needed would be an exchange of information and materials between clubs. An alliance, of sorts."

Not that he expected such a grand vision to be fulfilled or even wanted it to. All Van needed was to find one small group capable of leaving this place, the rest of the patients were none of his concern.